Albertus Magnus College Announces Faculty Promotions
Fulfills Strategic Priority of Leading in Academic Innovation
New Haven, Conn., July 29, 2024 – Albertus Magnus College is pleased to announce the promotion of seven faculty members across multiple disciplines to take effect this fall. Evaluations for promotion apply the highest standards of professional achievement in teaching, service, and scholarship.
“It is a privilege to work with such distinct and talented colleagues at Albertus Magnus College, who provide our students with tools to flourish and achieve their goals,” said Dr. Rosa E. Rivera-Hainaj, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty at Albertus.
Please congratulate:
Promotion from Associate Professor to Professor:
Nabil Elias, M.D.
Elias joined Albertus in 2014 and teaches healthcare management and business with a focus in public health at Albertus’ Tagliatela School of Business and Leadership. His educational background includes a Professional Post-Graduate Diploma in Executive Management from the American University in Cairo, Egypt, a Master of Business Administration from Southern Connecticut State University and a Medical Doctorate from Ain-Shams University Faculty of Medicine in Egypt. In addition to his academic duties, Elias serves as a member of the Academic Policy Committee and the Employees’ Benefits Committee.
Promotion from Assistant to Associate Professor:
Patricia Birungi, Ph.D.
Birungi joined Albertus in 2019, teaching courses in the Master of Public Administration program of which she is the director. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Population Studies from Makerere University in Uganda, a Master of Public Health from Eastern Virginia Media School, and a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Urban Policy from Old Dominion University. In addition to her academic duties, she serves as the chair of the Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Action (IDEA) Committee and a member of the Faculty Status Committee.
Jennifer Dealy, Ph.D.
Dealy joined Albertus in 2019, teaching courses in the Psychology Department. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts from Assumption College, a Master of Arts and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies, with a dual concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy, & Health, Wellbeing, and Prevention from the University of Connecticut. In addition to her academic duties, Dealy is the director of the Thomas Aquinas Scholars Program and the co-director of the Honors Program.
Brenda Joslyn, M.B.A.
Joslyn joined Albertus in 2011, teaching and advising students at the Tagliatela School of Business and Leadership — with a focus on accounting for both adult learners and traditional undergraduate students. Her educational background includes an Associate Degree in Business from Quinnipiac University and both a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a Master in Business Administration in Accounting from Albertus. In addition to her academic duties, Joslyn serves on the Dominican Mission and Ministries Advisor Committee, Faculty Status Committee, and the Laudato Si’ Action Committee.
Shiva Rezvan, Ph.D.
Rezvan joined Albertus in 2018 and teaches in the Department of Psychology. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Azad University, North Tehran, Iran, and a Master of Arts in Guidance and Counseling at the University of Isfahan, Iran, where she also earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. In addition to her academic duties, Rezvan serves as the internship coordinator in the Clinical Counseling Program and as a member of the College’s Social Justice Panel.
James Scott, D.C.J.
Scott joined Albertus in 2009 as a Lecturer, and transitioned to full time faculty in 2019. He teaches in the Department of Criminal Justice, drawing upon his law enforcement and military careers. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Albertus Magnus College, a Master of Administrative Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a Doctorate in Criminal Justice from Saint Leo University. In addition to his academic duties, Scott advises the Criminal Justice Club and coordinates the annual Criminal Justice Camp for high school students.
Jonathan Sozek, Ph.D.
Sozek joined Albertus in 2015 as Lecturer, and transitioned to full time faculty in 2019. He teaches in the Department of Philosophy and Religion and directs the College’s Arts and Humanities Collaborative, which promotes programs in five affiliated departments: Art, English and Communications, History and Political Science, Languages and Cultures, and Philosophy and Religion. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College, a Master of Arts in Religious Studies from McGill University, a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium as well as earning a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Brown University. In addition to his academic duties, Sozek serves on the Meister Eckhart Center Advisory Board and the Justice Panel Planning Committee.
About Albertus Magnus College
Albertus Magnus College, founded in 1925, is a coeducational Catholic College in the Dominican tradition. As New England's most diverse Catholic College, Albertus' values- and liberal arts-based education is recognized by external rankings such as US News & World Report, Money Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, and has been named a Top 10 Military Friendly School. For eight consecutive years, graduating classes at Albertus have achieved post-graduate employment and graduate school success at a rate of at least 95%. The College has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students across its traditional undergraduate, accelerated adult undergraduate, and 12 graduate programs. Proud to enroll a student body where more than half of its students come from minority backgrounds with nearly the same percentage of undergraduates receiving Federal Pell Grants and being first generation college goers, Albertus is known for its innovative curricular offerings, recently launching new Bachelor's degree programs in Nursing, General Health Sciences, Interdisciplinary Studies, Public Health, and Supply Chain Management; among its graduate programs is the State of Connecticut's only Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling program. Just two years from its historic 100 th Anniversary Year, the College is implementing its Albertus 2025: Lighting the Way to a Second Century strategic plan, which articulates an inspiring, bold vision to "be a destination liberal arts-based college, distinguished in its interdisciplinary and experiential approach to education, rooted in Dominican values, that prepares students for lifelong civic engagement and success." To learn more, please visit albertus.edu.